What’s New In The Reintroduced SHIPS For America Act?

Steel Cutting for New Medium Class Hopper Dredge: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined contractors Eastern Shipbuilding Group and Royal IHC on April 4, 2025, in Panama City, FL for a steel cutting ceremony, kicking off construction of a Medium Class Hopper Dredge to replace the Dredge McFARLAND of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District. The first cuts were made by a CNC Plasma Arc Burning Machine on an 8’ x 50’ x 5/8” sheet of ABS-14 raw steel plate. Photo by Katherine Tracey, U.S. Army Corps

On April 30, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), together with several original co-sponsors, reintroduced the SHIPS for America Act in the U.S. Senate, first introduced in December 2024, divided into two bills. Companion legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) and Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA). This is a major, historic effort to revitalize the U.S. merchant marine. The legislation had to be reintroduced to be considered by the new U.S. Congress, which commenced in January.

Here, we concentrate on the differences between the December bill and the April bills. For a more general summary of the proposed legislation, see Sen. Kelly’s April 30…